Island



(No-Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. STAFFORD. JAGQUARD MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 476,428. Patented June '7, 1892.

2 Sheets- Sheet 2'.

(No Model.)

G. W. STAFFORD. JAGQUAHD MECHANISM FOR LDOMS. No. 476,428. Patented June7, 1892.

svwe'wbov WNW mow Z; atto'anmg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \V. STAFFORD, OF PROVIDENCE, RIIODE ISLAND.

JACQUARD MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,428, dated June '7,1892.

Application filed December 14:, 1891. Serial No. 414,992. (No model.)

To whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE \V. STAFFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in JacquardMechanisms for Looms, of which the following is a specification,reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to Jacquard mechanisms of the class of suchmechanisms which are especially designed for use in weaving Marseillesquilts and similar fabrics. Looms for weaving this class of fabrics areequipped with a Jacquard mechanism and with two or more ordinaryharness-frames. The finewarpthreads used in forming the face of thefabric pass through the eyes of the said harnessframes and theharness-frames are raised alternately at the successive picks oftheloom, they being operated, for example, one up and one down. lienormally at the back of the fabric and are raised, as required, toproduce the pattern, are controlled by the Jacquard harness. TheJacquard mechanism is caused to lift at regular intervals, in orderthereby to produce the pattern and unite the coarse back and the fineface together, its griff remaining raised as long as may be required. Inweaving the finest grades of fabrics of the class mentioned the Jacquardmechanism is caused thus to lift for the production of the pattern at apredetermined time once in every four picks, while in weaving othergrades thereof it is caused thus to lift for the production of thepattern once in eight, twelve, or sixteen picks. The Jacquard mechanismalso,in addition to making a lift which serves for the production of thepattern once in every series of picks, is caused to make an additionallift in every series of picks for the purpose of separating the coarsethreads for the reception of the weft-thread, which is necessary to beintroduced among the same to bind them into cloth. Ordinarily in weavingthese fabrics the cylinder or prism of the Jacquard mechanism is causedto make two beats during each series of picks-that is, one beat prior toeach liftone beat being for the purpose of presenting to the needlesthat control the vertical hooks the pattern-card which de- The coarsepattern-threads, which termines the lifting of the coarse threads, asrequired, in the production of the pattern, and the second heat beingfor the purpose of presenting to the needles a plain perforated cardhaving the holes therein arranged so as to produce simply the separationorshedding of the coarse threads, which is necessary for the receptionof the weft-thread which binds them into cloth. Therefore ordinarily twocards are required for each series of picks. In view of the fact thatfor the weaving of most patterns of fabrics of the class hereinbeforementioned a great number of patterncards is required it follows that alarge portion of the expense incurred in the production of such fabricsis in consequence of the necessary cost of the material of such cardsand of the preparation of the cards.

It is the object of my invention to render possible the weaving of suchfabrics in any desired pattern or design with a smaller number of cardsthan heretofore has been required. To this end I provide the Jacquardmechanism with certain novel parts, whereby I am enabled to dispensealtogether with the cards which heretofore have been employed foreffecting the separation of the coarse warpthreads for the reception ofthe weft-threads which bind them into cloth. Thereby I reduce byone-half the number of cards required to be used, in the majority ofcases dispensing with twenty-five hundred cards, which with ordinarymechanisms will have to be employed In consequence of dispensing withthe cards which have been employed heretofore for effecting theseparation of the coarse warpthreads for the reception of theweft-threads which bind them into cloth, I am enabled to so modify, ifdesired, the mechanism for moving the pattern-cylinder toward and fromthe ends of the horizontal needles as that the same shall operate tomove the said patterncylinder inward toward the needles during eachseries or sequence of picks only when required for the selection of thewarp-threads for the figure.

\Vith my improved mechanism I employ only the cards which are actuallyrequired for the production of the pattern and the binding together ofthe fine face and the coarse back.

My invention will first be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, and will then be particularly pointed out and dis tinctlydefined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a Jacquardmechanism having my invention applied thereto, only such parts of theordinary structure being represented as will suffice to disclose thecharacter, relations, and mode of operation of the improved deviceswhich I have added. Fig. 2 is a view of certain parts embodying myinvention, the view being taken from the left in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aview in detail of certain parts hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings I have shown only so much of one known form of Jacquardmechanism as is necessary to be shown for the purpose of illustratingthe manner of reducing the invention to practice.

The invention may be applied to a variety of different known forms andmakes of Jacquard mechanisms without necessitating any material changein the construction or mode of operation of the usual parts of suchmechanisms, and when it is applied thereto the devices which I add tothe usual parts of such mechanism will act in alternation with theperforated cards, which are required for the production of the patternand in a manner to provide for shedding the coarse warp-threads byraising successively given portions of the said warp-threads, as inplain weaving or otherwise, as required, for the reception of theweft-thread which binds them into cloth.

The side frames of a Jacquard mechanism are shown at a a, the uppergriff at b, and at c are shown the vertical hooks or hooked wires, withthe upper hooked ends of which the knives (Z d of the said griffb engagefor the purpose of raising the same. ()nly the upper portions of thesaid hooks or hooked wires are shown in Fig. 1. One of the brackets bywhich the upper griif b is supported is shown at e in Fig. 1, the saidbracket being formed with bosses c e, which are perforated to fit uponand slide vertically upon the vertical guide-rod f, which is fixed inthe side frame (0. (Shown in the said Fig. 1.) The said griff b is ormay be actuated by the usual cam and connections, so as to cause it torise and fall at the desired intervals.

In practice the vertical hooks or hooked wires will have combinedtherewith the usual horizontal wires or needles, (not shown,) and theselatter will be acted upon in the customary manner by perforated patterncards, which are presented in turn against the ends of said needles todetermine the engagement of the hooks c by the knives (Z of the griff b,the said pattern-cards passing around a cylinder or prism, which isswung toward and from the ends of the needles, all as usual in Jacquardmechanisms now in use.

With the foregoing and the other usual parts of aJacquard mechanism Icombine devices such as I will now proceed to describe and whereby atpredetermined intervals in the weaving given portions or divisions ofthe vertical hooks c successively shall be pressed siin ultaneouslyeither over or away from certain of the knives of the griff in a mannerto occasion thelifting of given portions of the coarse warp-threadssuccessively, as in plain weaving or otherwise as required for thereception of the weft-thread which binds them into cloth, this beingeffected without the use of a perforated card. Thus in the drawings 9 gare rods or wires extending lengthwise of the machine between the sideframes and between the upper ends of the hooks of adjacent rows, therebeing one of such rods or wires arranged adjacent to each transverse rowof the hooks 0. These rods g g are fixed in bars h h, arranged to slidecrosswise of the machine in guides 2', Fig. 2, carried by the frame ofthe mechanism. The rods or wires g g are divided into two or moreseries, the rods of the different series alternating with one another,as shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings the rods or wires are shown divided into two series.Each series of rods or wires g g and the bars 7L h pertaining theretoconstitute a frame capable of sliding crosswise of the mechanism, andwhen a frame is thus slid the rod or wires thereof act to press thehooks upon which they act either over or away from over knives (Z of thegriff Z), this depending on the side of the series of the hooks uponwhich the rods or wires are placed.

In the drawings I have shown the rods or wires g g arranged in positionto press the hooks away from over the knives (Z of the griff b, when thesaid rods or wires are moved toward the right-hand side in Fig. 1, andthis is the arrangement which I prefer in practice. The different seriesof rods or wires 9 g must be moved in alternate succession, themovements thereof occurring at predetermined intervals during theweaving, and for the purpose of thus moving the same any desired form ofautomatically-operating shifting devices may be employed.

In the most perfect and preferred embodiment of my invention I employlevers j j, which are connected with the respective bars h 7t orotherwise with the respective frames, these levers j j being pivotedupon brackets 70, supported by the frame-work of the J acquard mechanismand being acted upon bv cams Z, fixed upon a shaft m, mounted inheatings in brackets 01 n, fixed to the frame-work. The shaft on alsohas fixed thereto a ratchetwheel 0, with which engages a pawl 19, thatis pivoted to the outer end of a lever g, which turns on a pivot at g onone of the side frames a, the inner end of the said lever q beingforked, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Between the arms q (f of the forkedinner end of the lever q plays a pin or bowl 0', moving with the griff,and thereby the lever q and pawl 13 derive the movement which enablesthe pawl to rotate the shaft m and the cams IIC carried thereby. Inorder to regulate the throw of the pawl, one of the arms of the innerend of the leveras, for instance, the arm q is formed (see Fig. 3) as aseparate piece having a hole therethrough, to fit upon the pivot-pin qand also having a slot g formed concentric with the said hole andthrough which passes a bolt g whereby the said arm q is secured to thelever q in the desired position relatively to arm g For the purpose ofpreventing the shaft m from overrunning when actuated by the deviceswhich have been described and of bringing it into proper position after,each movement thereof, I attach to the said shaft m a squaring-wheel s,of usual construction, and employ a lever t, which is caused to bearupon the said wheel .9 by a spring a, one end of the said spring beingconnected with the lever 23 and the other end thereof with theframe-work. The ratchct-wheel and the devices whereby the same isactuated are shown located at one end of shaft m, and the squaring-wheeland its spring-actuated lever at the other end of the said shaft.

In the drawings I have shown a pair of levers j j disposed adjacent toeach side frame a, a cam Z for actuating the said levers being placed ateach end of the shaft m. Other levers and cams located at intermediatepoints may be employed, if desired, or a single cam and set of leversmay be relied upon to move the said frames, if desired.

In the drawings, since there are shown but two levers jj' in each set oflevers, this number corresponding with the number of frames composed ofbars h h and rods g g which I have shown, the noses Z Z of each cam Zare diametrically opposite to each other. The number of teeth in theratchet-wheel 0 and the extent of movement of the pawl p are such thatone or the other of the said camnoses comes in contact with its lever jor j and acts to move it and the connected frame prior to everyalternate ascent of the grilf 12, this being the lift by which thecoarse warpthreads should be separated or shed for the reception of theweft-thread,which binds them into cloth. Prior to each of the remaininglifts the cams are shifted by the devices described into the position inwhich they are represented in Fig. 1, so as to permit the pattern-cardsto act in making the selection of the hooks which are required to beraised for the production of the pattern. By preference the apex of eachcam-nose is formed with a depression, as shown in Fig. 1, to receive thebowl or roller of its respective le- Ver, inasmuch as otherwise the saidapex would be so sharp the bowl could not well rest thereon.

It will be understood that in practice the devices herein described asembodying my invention will alternate in their action upon the hookswith the pattern-cylinder, and also that inasmuch as the devicesdescribed dispense with the use of the plain cards which heretofore havebeen employed, the pattern cylinder or prism will need to be swunginward toward the needles only once during each series of picks, insteadof twice, as heretofore.

Having now described my invention and the best manner at present knownto me of reducing it to practice, I claim as my invention- 1. Thecombination, with the griif and vertical hooks of a Jacquard mechanism,of rods disposed between the said hooks without direct connectiontherewith, the said rods being placed adjacent to the upper ends of thesaid hooks and arranged in two or more series, and means for movingsuccessively the respective series of rods laterally to shift the hooksrelatively to the knives of the griff and determine their engagementthereby, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the griff and vertical hooks of a Jacquardmechanism, of rods disposed between the said hooks without directconnection therewith, the said rods being placed adjacent to the upperends of the said hooks and arranged in two or more series, movable barsin which the said rods are secured, levers connected with said bars,cams acting upon the said levers, and means for rotating the said cams,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the griff and vertical hooks of a Jacquardmechanism, of rods disposed adjacent to the said hooks and arranged intwo or more series, movable bars to which the said rods are secured,levers connected with the said bars, cams acting upon said levers, ashaft carrying said cams, a ratchet-wheel on said shaft, a pawl engagingsaid ratchet-wheel, and a pawl-carrier actuated by the griff aforesaid,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEO. W. STAFFORD. Witnesses:

DAVID S. BAKER, Jr., 0. FRANK PARKHURST.

